Amazon.com

The Aquadoodle isn't a pool or tub toy, but without water it's no fun at all. It's just a drawing mat after all, but kids will like the novelty of its disappearing colors. The 81 by 53-inch drawing mat is large enough for several kids to doodle on at a time, using the included magic marker pens that do not transfer color to other surfaces (to our knowledge …). Color from the pens appears when water touches the mat; it then fades out without a trace in 60 seconds or so. That's it: no ink, no paint, and no mess.Diane Beall ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Love it!
I bought this today at target for my 2 year old daughter. We absolutly love it! She can doodle and draw to her hearts content and never run out of paper.....or be told to be careful to not color on the table. It is just water.....no mess what so ever! The drawings took about 2 minutes to completly disappear. What a great invention! Highly recommend!

What a great idea!
I recently bought an Aqua Doodle for my 2 year old nephew, and it was a huge hit! He was immediately drawn to the mat, and understood how to use the pens right away. The best part was that his 3 year old cousin was able to sit with him and they both had a blast. This is a great toy, because there is absolutely no mess.

I would NOT recommend this toy
I am a frequent buyer/reviewer for toys online and I am generally quite happy with them. This toy has a great concept, but I really wasn't thrilled with it. As the other reviewers have stated, it is a great toy...that is, until it's all wet. I found that the manufacturer SAYS, "image disappears in approx. 20 seconds.". This is where they are wrong. My kids LOVED playing with it, until they ran out of room to write stuff. It took so long to dry to become clear again, that I had to bring it in and put my hairdryer to it for an additional FIVE minute to dry it in order to continue using it. And this toy wasn't even drenched, just regular use. The idea of this toy is great, but has a big inconvenience. Maybe when it's a hot day it'll be better....I hope! I bought two, one for my daughter and one for my niece. I'm returning the unopened one.

Happy Mom
This toy is awesome....Hats off to SpinMaster....I saw this toy online a month ago and went to Toys-R-Us to purchase it and they did not carry it yet...I was just there today and was so happy to see it on the shelf....My kids just opened it and they love it....They are 4 and 19 months old and this is something that they can play together and enjoy....My 4 year old loves to trace the alphabet...If anyone has preschool aged kids or younger this toy is a true winner!!!! Definitely worth the money....

Very Special Toy - Highly recommend
This is a WONDERFUL activity toy for children of all ages - even adults! Several kids can play together on the large size mat and it is very neat, easy to store,very educational,provides hours of fun. The unique technology allows for children to draw with water so you never have to clean up or replace any pens etc. The images disappear after a few minutes so you always have a new writing area. I highly recommend this toy to everyone!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

IlluStory is a multi-award winning kit that lets you write and illustrate your very own professionally typeset, hardbound book! This kit includes markers and special book pages for creating an original story that is mailed to the publisher in the postpaid envelope provided. Each book features up to 12 pages with 20 typeset words, and includes a Title page, Dedication page and a special "About-the-Author" page. The author's name, book title and illustration are laminated onto the cover. You have your choice of six cover colors to choose from. Additional reproductions and rush service are optional. The IlluStory kit now offers an Internet production option that includes online drawing tools and allows for more words per page, a choice of font styles and colors, and faster delivery times at no extra cost. IlluStory has won many prestigious awards such as the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award; Dr. Toy Best Toy Award; Parents' Choice Classic Award and the Family Life's Best Learning Toy Award. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

A fun and educational gift!
As a teacher, I had to buy this gift for my seven-year-old niece. She loved making her own book, and the finished product that they send you is very professional looking, like a book that you would purchase from a store. They even included some tips and activities to help children write their stories, including diagrams for pre-planning and brainstorming. My niece loves her book and shows it off to everyone - she even took it to school and got to read it at storytime. This is a great educational activity that really gets children to be creative, and they love it. Buy it for all of your favorite kids!

This is fabulous!!
My daughter received this as a gift. She LOVED creating her story. We had lots of fun together with the planning and the layout and she really enjoyed being able to express her creativity so freely. When the final product, a hardbound copy of her story arrived, she was so excited. Now we read her story often and it is so neat to know that the words and illustrations are her own. We also bought this as a gift for my friend's son (his sixth birthday) and he loved it as well. My daughter recently asked me if we could get another kit so she can make another story. I definitely will get this for her again. It is a wonderful gift and also a great keepsake for years to come.

The Perfect Gift
This is one of the greatest gifts my 5 year old daughter ever received. It kept her occupied for hours, not to mention the days when she likes to go back and read it. It was so interesting, that my 7 year old nephew helped her create the book. They drew a line down the middle of each page so they each had a side. Then they just created their masterpiece-no arguing-just sharing and imagining together. I now give this as a gift to anyone around the ages of 5-7 years.

Inspiring for Young Authors
We bought this for my son, who loves to write books of his own. When he received the finished version of this book, he was so proud and wanted to write more books. The finished product makes a great gift for grandparents and other loved ones. It also inspires a love of reading and writing in children. What a wonderful do-it-yourself project for children!!!

A fabulous idea!
I bought this for my 8 year old niece last Christmas. It was a HUGE hit with her and everyone who has come in contact with her finished masterpiece. Everyone wants to know where I got it. This really helped my niece become more sure of herself and she now loves to write! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Just like any great artist, your little one should be preparedfor that moment when creative inspiration arrives. Featuring a largechalkboard on one side and a blank pad of paper on the other, thisDouble Easel will ensure that your pintsize Van Gogh can capture amoment of inspiration before it passes. The Double Easel is made ofdurable plastic and comes with wide trays on both sides for storing artsupplies (not included), as well as a large piece of chalk and aneraser (included). A large plastic clamp on one side of the easel holdsdown a 50-sheet pad of paper (included), and the two storage trays areremovable for easy cleanup. Designed for use by one or two children ata time, the Double Easel folds together for compact storage. Measures43.5 inches tall. --Chris Burns ... Read more

Reviews (34)

A fun toy
Everyone knows that easels are a great toy for children, they encourage creativity and give them a reason to turn off the tv... My son has this easel, and it is really nice, I just wish that when they constructed it they would have bothered to put holes in the wide trays so when water or paint is spilled in them, it can drain out. As it is, I have to invert the entire easel to drain the trays. (Yes, this is an outdoor toy.) The only other major drawback to this easel is that the pad of paper that is provided is quickly used up, and I don't know where to find replacement pads. My son (who is a young 4) loves to draw on the plastic chalkboard side with his sidewalk chalks, and enjoys painting when I can find paper to use with it. Assembly was not as easy as we'd hoped, my husband is a real Mr. Fix-it and this gave him a little trouble. It was also missing a small part. BUT all these things aside, I would reccomend this to a friend, and I think your child would have fun with it also.

Most durable one out there - like new after 4 children!
This is just a great toy. Ours has gone through 4 children, 3 of them boys, and it's still like new. Little Tikes makes things that last forever and this is no exception. The trays snap off for easy cleanup, but stay on when needed by children. It's just so much fun for them to be able to draw on one side and paint on the other at the same time. We buy the finger paint sets and use the paper that is included in them and also, they make extra paper sets sold separately that provides the slippery side needed for finger painting. I love how easily this easel cleans up and requires very little maintenance. A great buy for a lot of fun!

Disappointment
How can you review something that is missing parts and you can't use? After trying to pick out the perfect easel for our grandson who just turned 3 - we picked this one because of the reviews it received. You cannot imagine how upset we were the evening before we were to travel to Richmond to give it to him, already put together when we were missing major parts. Too late to call the store to correct the mistake and we are leaving very early in the morning before the stores will be open again. You would think that when you purchase something that all the parts would be in place - especially something for a child. So, we head to Richmond tomorrow morning - with a new broken birthday present for our grandson. This is not acceptable - and will be last item I purchase from Little Tikes. I've called Little Tikes and left a message for them, but this won't fix the face that I will see in the morning when I tell him his birthday present isn't ready yet and he can't play with it. Come on people - if you have a job - at least do it right!

Great toy--even secondhand!!
I bought this easel used and it was still in perfect shape after being played with at a daycare. We are using it outdoors and plan to use it inside all winter. My 2 year-old loves to hide inbetween the easel for fun, paint, and use the chalkboard. I love the removeable trays. I do wish it was height-adjustable--or at least the paper clip was, but that's ok. We just use clothespins to pin 2 pieces of paper together to "lower" the paper.

BEWARE of chalkboard
I have brought home 4 different easels, and ALL of them have had broken chalkboards. As another review said, it is a very sharp plastic material and can be very dangerous for young children. I'm going back again today to see if I can find another one that is not broken. The manufacturer needs to be aware of this defect!!!! ... Read more

Editorial Review

For kids who want to experience the magic of growing their own garden, this kit is a fun andinventive experience. It contains everything you need to grow a small terrarium complete with an entirecommunity of tiny fantastical inhabitants. Paint the special planter with the paints (three primary colorsincluded), fill with soil, and then plant the enclosed beans and grass seeds. Then it's time to arrange the tinyfairy cottage, use the green pebbles to make a tiny path, and decorate the garden with the rocks, shells, and plastic animals that come with the kit. As the beans sprout and grow, you can cut and shape them sothey look like miniature trees--and for variety, add pepper, lemon, cantaloupe, and tomato seeds and watchjust what comes up. --John Longenbaugh ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Best toy in the world!
I think that this toy allows fun and education into children. It gives them a craft to play with when they are bored, and is fun for anyone to play with. I defenitely recommend this one of a kind "Wee Enchanted Garden Kit." My child Jessica who is 10, just loves crafts! I also teach in a school and bring crafts for them to do all the time! They seem to really enjoy it a bunch! this is totally a five star kit!

"Awsome Fun!"
It was so cool!I loved it!I could design it anyway I wanted to.Thanks!

MOTHER OF 6 YEAR OLD
MY DAUGHTER LOVES FAIRIES SO I HAD TO ORDER THIS. IN 3 DAYS WE HAD 6 INCHES OF GRASS AND A FEW BEAN SPROUT TREES!!!! SHE LOVES TAKING CARE OF HER FAIRIES!!!!

Plants grew TALL
Had a wonderful couple hours putting this together with my 5-year old niece. And, because I live across country from her, she promised she would call me when the plants started growing. Just a few days later, I got an excited phone message from her that the garden was growing and the "plants were SO TALL." I called her back and told her to get the lawnmower out, which she quickly relayed to her father. The only thing I would change about this kit would be to have more realistic and fun animals and maybe an elf to go with the house. The kit includes a plastic frog and mouse that aren't even near scaled to the size of the house. An elf, a few deer, and a squirrel might be a better combination.

Takes awhile, but is still fun!
I got this for myself, actually. I like playing with stuff like this, even though I am no longer a kid! I had fun painting the pot and planting the seeds. A few days later, the grass started to grow. Unfortunately I haven't seen much of the beans - but hopefully soon. This is a fun kit to play with, but doesn't actually give you many hours of enjoyment. Once you paint the kit and plant the seeds (which doesn't take THAT long) you basically just check on it every so often to water it and see the plants. One other good thing about this kit, they give you extra seeds and tell you how to make them sprout using paper towels so you can see the entire process - very interesting! Would recommend, as the price is not too bad - but there are plenty of more eduacational toys out there that will occupy more of your time. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Great toy
I love this easel! I posted a previous review complaining that the trays constantly crashed to the floor. However, today I realized that the trays snap on if you press them down the correct way. We have had this toy for almost 3 months and I just figured this out. Someone else was complaining of the same problem, but I hope that does not stop anyone from buying this easel. I love everything about it now. Sorry about the previously bad review.

They Need to Fix This!
My kids love playing with this easel but are very disappointed that they can't paint with it. Why? Because of the holder trays that come crashing down every few minutes. (I'd leave them off, the kids put them back) Imagine the fun of having them full of open paint jars. The stupid things just don't stay in for anything! I'm hoping we can put in some screws or something. Superglue, ANYTHING. It's just such an obvious flaw that I can't believe they haven't fixed it. I wish someone else would have said something about it when I was reading the reviews. I wouldn't have bought it.

Good toy but trays fall off constantly
We bought this easel for our daughter for her third birthday. It is very cute and it has clips on both sides for more than one child or project. However the trays for chalk or markers fall off every time you move the easel. I researched this product before we purchased it and it had great reviews. I am frustrated with this toy because every time I move it or even vacuum near it the trays fall off and the contents spill all over the floor.

Chalkboard is CHEAP!!!!
We just bought this for our daughter's 4th birthday and she seems to like it. However, her parents are not at all pleased with the chalkboard side. I bought Crayola chalk (separately) to go with it. The chalkboard is waxy and flimsy. Even after "seasoning" it like the box says, it looks and functions even worse! I think for the money we spent on the product and on shipping, it should be a MUCH better quality!! How hard is it to make chalkboards, anyhow? Anyways, I guess we'll cover it up with drawing paper.

Super purchase
I bought this for my 19 month old daughter and have been extrememly pleased. It seemed much sturdier than the others I tested in the store and was less expensive. I thought the dry erase board would be a waste for a while because there is absolutely NO WAY my little artist would be given markers on a regular basis. I discovered, however, that washable crayons work great on the dry erase side. She can wipe it clean easily by herself with a baby wipe. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Great Toy For Active Kids
This was a great craft kit for my children. My 7-year-old daugther received one for her birthday. She loved it so much since she could paint the soccer ball with colors that she had mixed and chosen. I just bought one for my son also. Both my kids love sports and I prefer them doing something active and fun rather than watching television. I love this kit since both my son and daugther can use it and you get a real soccer ball that the kids can play with after the paint dries.

Cool Look, But won't Last
This seems like a lot of fun, but at the same time most people nowadays are looking for the new cool-looking Adidas or Nike. Plus it probably won't last very long because of the material.

Coming from a kid
Coming from a kid, I must say that this is a wonderful item to have. I got it for my birthday last year and I loved it. I played with all the time. I painted it my own way, and it tought me to be more creative. It looks still liked new, after a year of playing Traveling Soccer. I had my friends sign my soccer ball and now everyone wants to play with it! I love it and if your kid is sporty and has fun painting and stuff...getting this for your kid is a great idea. I loved getting this and so will you!

not so good
tHISTOY DID NOT SUIT FOR A FUN TOY. I BOUGHT IT FOR MY KID AND 1 DAY AFTER MY KID PAINTED IT , IT CAME OFF. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT

Soccer Madness
I think that the soccer ball is great but not that educational only because all you do is paint. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Re-create Mother Nature's beautiful designs on the wings of butterflies with this kit from Balitono. It includes 4-inch wooden butterflies that can be used as refrigerator magnets, hanging sculptures, window decorations, and toy treasures. The kit offers three butterflies, nontoxic acrylic paints in five colors, shiny varnish, and a paintbrush. Each figure also comes with a press-on magnet, hanging accessories, a suction cup (for window use), and a small gift tag. An easy-to-follow instruction sheet includes compelling facts about the nature of butterflies. Colorful illustrations on the box show a wide variety of butterflies young artists might like to paint. A coded diagram inside identifies each species by name. Children may want to give these items as gifts, use them to decorate their rooms, or simply use them in creative play. --Joan DeClaire ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Great Memory!!
My 8-year old daughter received this Paint the Wild Butterflies as a birthday gift, when we started the project together, I was surprised that my 5-year son got really into it too. We had a really wonderful time painting, imagining and laughing at the table while doing this project. I have never seen activity kits with actual handcrafted wood and the butterflies actually look life-like as opposed to be machined made. The paints are suprisingly good quality, it dried quickly and we were able to change colors and added stripes and spots. I did wish there was more than 1 paintbrush to do all 3 at the same time. My daughter made it into a eye-catching ornament with gift card for her dad and my son and I each made a magnet. It is most definitely a memorable project and it captured my kids' artistic expressions which I am sure will bring smiles years from now.

Awesome for family fun
I bought this for my daughter for christmas and we made it a family project, we each painted a butterfly and it was alot of fun, gave her a chance to use her imagination as to what she wanted HER butterfly to look like...She attached the magnets and we now have it displayed on our refridgerator. I would definately reccomend this for a child who loves to be creative.

Cheap wood pieces
This kit is a great idea, but the butterflies break apart pretty easily. Need to make them of more durable wood.

Easy craft project for kids
My son at age 7 enjoyed this kit. It comes with 3 wooden butterflies, paint, paintbrush, etc. There is a small pamphlet included with some information about butterflies. We added our own glitter glue and other items to make the butterflies more decorative.

KIDS LOVE BUTTERFLIES!
Ever since I read j.singh's The Butterfly to my kids they've been obsessed with caterpillars and butterflies and just about the entire insect kingdom. So, undoubtedly, I've been cajoled into buying pretty much every butterfly book on the market (i plan to bill Singh!). Now having read all these books I consider myself a sorta self-proclaimed authority whose mission is to save parents time and money. And so here are the winners according to me and my two wonderful children. The gold medal goes to GOOD NIGHT SWEET BUTTERFLIES (for the illustrations color and content); the silver medal to FROM BUTTERFLY TO CATERPILLAR (for content and pictures); and the bronze to WAITING FOR WINGS (for content). There are plenty of others but these are a good place to start. Hope I've been helpful. ... Read more

Teacher Review

With this well-designed, double-sided easel, preschoolers can enjoy the advantages of creative expression on an upright surface. The easel's frame is made from sturdy wood left in its natural state, with thick pressed board used as the bases for the art surfaces. One side of the easel has a 24-by-24-inch, green chalkboard, and the other side has a 24-by-24-inch, white dry-erase board.Two removable, washable trays are included to attach to the easel (one with molded spaces to hold paint jars and brushes). The easel requires simple assembly, but no tools are required and all bolts and plastic bolt covers are included. Some thoughtful design aspects include an adjustable height feature, a convenient, built-in paper towel holder, and two metal clips to attach paper for painting. Included in the set are some art supplies to get started: four large, no-spill paint jars, six small jars of poster paint, four paint brushes, a package of colored chalk, six dry-erase markers, a foam eraser. This set was a winner of the Dr. Toy Best Classic Toys Award, and it would be a winning addition to any playroom, family daycare home, or preschool. --Marcie Bovetz, mother and former children's librarian ... Read more

Features

• 48" tall
• Double-sided easel
• One side is a chalkboard, the other a dry-erase board
• Paint jars included

Reviews (9)

Great item, but a very pricey
I expected the item to arrive with more supplies and some paper for first time use. My husband and I both agree that the item is well made, durable and the kids love it. The price was just too high, at [$$$] for the item plus shipping, because the item was heavy,this was a [$$$] purchase. Assembly was easy enough, except that the holes on the chalkboard were a little off and it took brute force the line the holes up for the bolt. All in all if I could have returned it without paying another [$$$] I probably would have and spent my [$$$] on art supplies alone. I hope this easel will last through all my children, that way maybe I'll feel justified in the price I paid.

Very nice easel, but...
My sister purchased this item as a Christmas present for my 3 year old son. He was very excited while his dad was assembleing the easel, however he could not enjoy it right away because the 75 foot paper roll supposed to come with it was not included in the package. Another dissapointed fact was the blue poster color that my son accidentaly spotted the carpet did not come off easily and left parmanent stain on the carpet. We've tried every way to remove the stain (steam vac, detergent, etc.), but we could not get lid of it. I was very surprised the color was not water based considering it is a product for kids.

Worth every penny!
I purchased this easel for my four year old son. Not only am I pleased that it was so simple to assemble (on Christmas eve!) but it has become a great source of entertainment. The frame is sturdy and will last a long time in a busy house. The marker board wipes off easily and has not discolored at all. The trays help little hands to organize and use the chalk, paints and markers. It did not come with a roll of paper, but the paint jars, brushes, dry erase markers, chalk and eraser were included. Tiny paints were included but are used up quickly. I am highly pleased that I spent the extra money to buy this model.

a lemon
The easel arrived with two problems. One was that the tray had apparently broken in shipment. In part this was due to faulty packaging. However, upon breaking it apparently shatters into many sharp edged fragments.

The other problem, even more troubling, was that one of the legs had holes which were so improperly drilled that it was impossible to assemble.

I must say that Amazon.com was very prompt and courteous in their response to our complaint and quickly arranged for prepaid shipment back with refund.

Something missing
We purchased this item for Christmas for our 31/2year old and 61/2year old. They both loved the easel. It was missing, however, the paper roll that was supposed to come with it. That was very discouraging for our 31/2 year old as he wanted to paint right away. I am waiting for an answer via email about this problem. Some of the screw holes didn't line up properly so we had to really jam the bolts into the holes of the boards, doing a little bit of damage but not enough to go through the trouble of returning the easel. It looks great and the kids use it to play school etc... Hopefully the paper roll will turn up sometime soon. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Doesn't have to be just for easels...
Being a preschool teacher I use these all of the time. I have found that taking the sheets out individually clipping them to the easels clip to be the best way to work with them. Even if you don't have an easel these are wonderful for children of all ages. Large, unlined sheets of paper encourage children to be creative and to express themselves in a completely original way. For infants, toddlers, and preschoolers I will often tape the sheets to the table and let them color/paint/glue to their hearts delight.

Too Heavy
I bought this pad for my twins. They use it on their little tikes double easel. This pad is a little to heavy to stay underneath the clip. When they start drawing on it, it starts to slip down. However, easel pads are not easy to find in our area, so I will probably continue to buy these. They have lots of pages in each book and good quality paper for "little artists". ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Oh man... :o)
Imagine a plastic barrel full of markers, colored paper, googly eyes (different sizes yet), pipe cleaners, fuzzy balls, cut out shapes, glitter, sequins, popsicle sticks...okay, there is more, but we haven't reached the bottom of the barrel yet. Basically, it's full of cool stuff that kids LOVE to goof around with. It's messy, and you'll be picking up sequins and various "shiney" things for days, but the kids will be absorbed for at least an hour, if not more.

We're homeschoolers, and when we don't feel like doing "formal" art, it's so much fun to pull out the giant barrel and say, "Okay, get the glue!" :oD

This is great!
The kids can really be creative with this, and the adults can have fun, too! There are plenty of each item in the barrel, so you can complete many different crafts. This would be a great birthday or holiday present. Just get some glue, and you're ready to go! ... Read more

Editorial Review

The toy industry can be as fickle as fashion design. The hottest toy of one year's holiday season can often be found in the heavily discounted clearance section mere months later. But through all the fads and trends, Play-Doh remains just as popular as ever. This comprehensive set features six cans of the Doh itself along with plastic rolling pins, scissors, extruding tools, and cookie cutter molds. But perhaps the set's best feature is one that may go overlooked: it's all stored in an incredibly convenient big plastic barrel with a sealable lid. Play-Doh, for all its numerous virtues, does tend to dry out over time as those little plastic cans are often accidentally left open. But if young modelers can just get the goo back in the barrel and close the lid, it should stay moist and pliable enough for future use. --Charlie Williams ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Our first play-doh set - everything you need
Perfect for play doh "purists" - it has everythign a starter set should have - rolling pin, cookie cutters, "scissors" safe enough for my 2 year old, and an extruder to make snakes and spaghetti.

I love it because it lets your imagination run wild. My 2 year old just loves it because it's play doh.

a ton of fun
as a mom of triplets Im always looking for toys my kids can share and will keep them playing for more then 4 minutes-this playdough barrel is the best more then enough items and dough for three even four kids to play with with out fighting over them--I love it and they love it

Fun with play doh!
Play doh is a perennial favorite among preschoolers, and my two year old is no exception. This set of six colors comes with a handy plastic jug that holds a variety of shapemakers to use with the play doh. When other preschoolers come over to play, this is usually one of the first toys they want to play with. The playdoh itself, like all playdoh, became dry and crumbly from overuse, but additional playdoh can be purchased just about anywhere for a reasonable price. ... Read more

Editorial Review

What a great way to make an impression. This Kids' Step Stone Kit includes everything you need to make a wonderful stepping stone: StoneCraft mix (containing Portland Cement and silica sand),rainbow rocks, glass gems and glitter, and a craft stick for writing. Kids will love making pictures ofgardens and rainbows, or immortalize their very own handprint--just like the stars. A winner of the 1998 ParentsChoice Approval stamp. Adult supervision required. --Andrea Linsky ... Read more

Reviews (6)

These Stepping Stones are awesome!
My daughter, who's now 8 and I have made these using her hand print for every Grandma, Grandpa, aunt, uncle and of course, Mom and Dad, too. They are great gifts. Inexpensive, but priceless to those lucky enough to get them. My Daughter with the help of my Mom made one for me for Christmas one year. I can't tell you how much I LOVE my stepping stone with her little handprint in it. You can also take a toothpick or something and write the child's name, "I love you" or whatever to make it even more personal. None of the stones we've made have broken either and by last count, we've made 8. Oh, one other thing that we tried with the last two we made was painting them with some outdoor paint and that turned out real cute too. Give these as gifts and you can't go wrong!

Great for younger kids, too
I have used this with my 3 year old on 3 separate occasions and she absolutely loves it! It takes a lot of parental involvement and help with the actual mixing process (adding the ingredients), but she was able to stir it herself and LOVED putting the stones in. I supplemented with marbles, floral stones, and some stones specific to mosaics that I found at a craft store. All in all - a wonderful project that provides years of creative options and play, as well as great parental involvement. I gave a high educational value since creativity is one of the key foundations of education for preschoolers.

Great Toy For 'Grownups'
My housemates and I had fun making tiles for our garden! This kit is great. So is the other Mosaic Tile one. I know it's for kids, but it really adds something special to my little garden!

Stepping Stone Kit is a Winner
I knew as soon as my daughter opened this present it was a winner. She was so excited she could not wait. She designed a sun shape on the concrete and is so proud as we step on it in our garden. The only problem is that the kit did not contain enough glass stones of the color she wanted. We used complimentary colors and it turned out beautifully. I would highly recommend this toy.

Attention Grandparents !!
I just picked up 2 of these "Kids' Stone Kits" for my grandsons. They make a GREAT Sunday project and are going to have a blast making them. But the best part is that they will feel good about themselves doing this project. Afterwards they can give these as a Christmas gift to their Mother and be proud of the gift that they made themselves !! ... Read more

Book Description

Publish your own keepsake photo book!!

PhotoStory lets you publish your own book, but you can also include your favorite photos, stickers, stamps or other art material. Simply send in your decorated kit pages with the story or captions you want typeset, and in just weeks you'll receive back an archivalquality 7" by 9", laser reproduced 15 page hardback book. Numerous options allow you to create almost any type of book up to 50 pages in length, and for any number of additional book copies. The 168 Mrs. Grossman's stickers make it easy to be creative. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great Product, Great Company
I used this product to create a book for my sister's baby shower. It was a big hit. The customer service of this company was amazing, they were always very quick to respond and very willing to work with me to create an amazing book. I have been telling all of my friends with children that they need to buy this product or one of the many others from Creations By You. You will not be disappointed with your purchase, the end product looks like a professionally produced book.

Buy this product!
My children did the Illustory kits for years but once they got a little older, they wanted a little bit more and this kit is perfect. You can still do drawings with your stories but this kit lets you use photos and stickers (some already come in the kit) and stamps and scrapbook and art materials--just about anything they want to jazz up the pages. We've made books for friends as a birthday gift, we did a travelogue of our last vacation and we've even used them to make an end-of-the-year yearbook for the teacher (everyone wanted a copy!). This kit is so cool and unique--there are hundreds of uses for it! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Much better than expected!
I ordered the Deluxe Stamp Set as a stocking gift for Christmas and did not have high expectations, since it was relatively inexpensive. I was pleasantly surprised. The whole set is packaged in a sturdy, reusable, wooden crate. The stamps are very high quality, rendering clean, detailed pictures. The ink was also of good quality, and it was completely washable. The stamps were easy to clean after use. My only criticism is of the colored pencils. There weren't enough colors, they did not work well with the stamps, and they were hard to sharpen. We ended up coloring our pictures with magic markers instead. Overall, though, a great product! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

THESE COLORS ARE GREAT
I really loved receiving the 213 count coloring set for my birthday. The quality is excellent and the durability is better than most I've encountered. And i've encountered a lot of just plain crappy crayons/colored pencils. I reccommend this product to anyone who just loves to color! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Too many craft projects end up in the drawer; this paint-it-yourselfelectric bedside lamp kit can light up a room. Included are a small ceramiclamp, a plain white shade, and the basics for decorating them. There's a six-potset of mixable paints, and also a 20-inch strip of pink pompoms for the shade'sfringe, complete with glue. Obviously, these can be supplemented with othercraft materials of your choosing. The lamp and shade together are 10 inches highand a 15-watt candle-style bulb is already included. --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great Project!
I bought this lamp for my 7 year old daughter when her baby sister was born. She decorated the lamp for her sister and put it in her nursery. She was very proud of herself and it was a great way for her to be included in getting ready for the baby. Her sister is 2 now and her lamp is still on her dresser. She had a great time putting it together and it is very well made as well. A great project for girls!

looks cool!
I gave it 4 not 5 because I don`t have it yet. It looks really cool, and I bet it really is all the box shows! which is more then I can say for alot of toys these days,sadly. Well I will do another review if I get this.

TERRIFIC !! We buy this for gifts too. GREAT PRODUCT !
I can't say enough about this lamp. It's QUALITY, a good project for a child 6 years and up. We bought one for a gift for an 8 year old too and she loved it. My granddaughter has a lamp that we made together, for her bedroom. What a good feeling she had when it was complete. By the way, the ONLY thing I did with her was help with glueing on the ball fringe. The only thing I would recommend is that Imaginarium also include other color fringes, like white, black, blue.....or ?? With a PINK fringe, it's clearly earmarked as a girl's project and I think a boy would enjoy a lamp too. I could see a camo lamp with a black fringe too.
GREAT PRODUCTS COME FROM IMAGINARIUM. I HAVE MANY ON THE CRAFT SHELF!

Groovy and FUN too!
I bought this toy for my seven year old's birthday and she had the best time with it. It comes with paint to paint the base and other arts and crafts to decorate the lampshade...and it really works!! It's definately worth the money! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Worked Very Well For Us
At first I thought the same of the reflective pieces, that they would not go in, however, on second a second attempt they infact do snap into and stay in place very, very well.

As for the "floating image" yes, at first I too thought, "Okay, this is 'floating' just a bit too high for tracing purposes," but when another light was turned on in the room, everything meshed perfectly.

My son LOVES this toy. We have not had any problems with the reflective plates coming out and all of his traced drawings with the Digidraw come out beautifully. I've noticed an increase in his attention detail and depth now when freehand drawing.

Piece Of Cr#p - does not work well
My son had wanted one of these for about 2 years, after seeing them on TV being advertised. I tried telling that things on TV NEVER work like they promise. But, he still wanted one.

Then Spiderman 2 came out and they released a Spiderman Digidraw and I finally relented and we went to the store for the sole purpose of buying a Spiderman 2 Digidraw. There were alot of pieces in the box so I made them wait until they got home to open the box.

When we got home, my 7 year old tried putting it together and got extremely frustrated, so I jumped in and tried. After many attempts we came the conclusion (a 31 yr old, a 7 yr old, and a 6 yr old) that this product is very poorly made. The plates do not snap into place and fall as soon as they are touched. The image reflected on the paper is very hard to see and trace. In the end the kids just wanted to keep the colorful images of spiderman, but they were all backwards so that they would reflect correctly.

We have decided to return the Digidraw and I consider it a well learned lesson the AS SEEN ON TV translates into PIECE OF CR#P!
Save your moeny and get a coloring book and tracing paper instead

It Works!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I saw the reviews Ithought this toy was junk. I thought I should try it. It was so easy. (...)This toy has MAGICAL markers.It's so easy to keep in place with the magnets.Even a 2 year old could use this toy.(...)

Don't waste your money!
I bought "2" of these, as we had a very long flight to Japan ahead of us and I needed something to occupy my 5 and 6 year olds. What a huge mistake! We got very frustrated trying to assemble them and even more frustrated trying to trace the images. If I could of opened the plane door, I would of thrown them out at 30,000 feet! What's really annoying is that I can't even return them as I bought them in L.A. and we live in Japan!

Disappointed in Maryland
My daughter saw this advertised on television quite sometime ago, and asked for it several times. We finally decided to buy it online, received it today (after much anticipation!), and she is completely disappointed. To begin with, the reflection plates don't actually snap in, as the directions say they do. Next, the reflection, while visible, is very difficult to trace. In fact, I had trouble, too! Last, after trying many different images (and thinking that the next one would be easier!), my daughter tried tracing an animated cartoon. I decided to line it up for her, thinking that would help get her started, and it was impossible to do! She is ten, and is quite artistic. This toy, however, has been nothing but a letdown! She feels taken advantage by the television advertisement, and doesn't want to try it again! We are sending it back tomorrow!!
I only wish I had been smart enough to read these online reviews before we purchased Digi Draw! ... Read more

Teacher Review

Set up an art station just like those found in preschools andkindergartens with this set of high-quality painting supplies to encouragecreative expression in young artists. The set includes seven colors of washabletempera paint in 8-ounce bottles, in black, white, red, blue, yellow, purple,and green. No-spill paint pots with color-coordinated lids are also included,and the lids snap tightly shut so unused paint won't dry out. Six bristlebrushes are included, as well as three foam brushes and two foam rollers.Everything stores away in a sturdy storage crate (which itself folds flat forstorage). Early-childhood educators praise the creative value of painting foryoung children, and this set provides all the necessary materials except paper.--Marcie Bovetz, mother and former children's librarian ... Read more

Features

• 7 8-ounce containers of tempera paints
• 7 no-spill paint pots with snap lids
• 6 bristle brushes, 3 foam brushes, 2 foam rollers
• Sturdy, fold-up storage crate
• High-quality supplies for school or home

Reviews (3)

Good quality for price
Good quality supplies made for heavy duty use. Nice big "brushy" brushes - heavy duty nylon bristles resist "flopping" and are easy to clean. Sponge applicators are easy to use and fun shapes - they don't fall apart and they wash clean. Paint is in worthwhile size containers - just need an inch or so in the cup at a time, bottle will last a long time. Lidded cups keep paint from drying out and have large brush wells. Crayons and chalk are standard issue - would be better if they were thicker, "pre-school" size. All in all - a very good basic supply. My grandson wants to "do painting" every time he visits.

Great item...
The item is great -- all the washable paints you need -- great brushes and sponges etc...

Very Nice
My kids are having fun painting and Im enjoying the less mess part :) I also thought the brushes were 'Are" very high quality!!
I would buy this again! And will for a gift very soon!! The crate is very nice also!
Thanks!! ... Read more